


A Profiler Dies at the End

by icefallstears



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Betrayal, Canon-Typical Violence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-08
Updated: 2015-08-08
Packaged: 2018-04-13 17:00:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4529949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icefallstears/pseuds/icefallstears
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hotch confronts a murderer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Profiler Dies at the End

Aaron Hotchner stared; his heart breaking. He couldn’t believe his eyes. More importantly, he didn’t _want_ to believe his eyes. For there in Hotch’s view, was Spencer Reid, the gentle know-it-all geek of the BAU, chopping an arm off of a very dead body. His Spencer, the man he’d grown to love. Had married. Had let adopt Jack. The man he’d thought would never harm another human being except in self defense, was a murderer. The evidence before his eyes was indisputable. The feeling of betrayal, greater than Haley’s, caused vomit to rise in the back of his throat, and he gagged slightly as he tried to swallow it down. Unfortunately, the strangled noise drew Spencer’s attention.

 

Hotch watched as Spencer dropped the axe he’d been using to dismember the trio of bodies in front of him and turned around eyes wide. The surprise on Spencer’s quickly muted to blankness as he studied Hotch’s face. Hotch took a step forward at the unusual blankness on his lover’s normally expressive face, instinctively wanting to soothe the lithe man. Reid’s face shifted to annoyance as he bent down and picked the axe back up, causing Hotch to stop in his tracks.

 

“Spencer,” Hotch winced as his voice cracked. “Spencer, what have you done?”

 

A sad look came across Spencer’s face, “Aaron.” He sighed, and started again, “Aaron, you aren’t supposed to be here. How did you find me?”

 

Aaron scrubbed a hand through his hair and then held up his cell phone.   
  
“A GPS tracker app. You missed dinner over three hours ago and your phone was going straight to voicemail. I was afraid something had happened to you. If I couldn’t find you with the app, I was going to start calling hospitals next.”

 

Aaron watched as Spencer grimaced and looked over and down at the partially dismembered bodies and then at his watch.

 

“Things got a little out of hand tonight. They had company and he ran. Then, I had to get them out here to dispose of them properly.”

 

Spencer shrugged, perfectly at ease with bloody scene he had made.    
  
“I couldn’t very well just leave the bodies where they were. They needed to disappear, not be investigated as a homicide; or even worse sent to the BAU. I have always tried to keep the BAU out of it. After all, it would damage the credibility of the BAU if anyone ever found out what I have been doing these past years.”

 

Aaron’s body tensed, and his hand drifted to where his gun was normally holstered at Spencer’s admission that this was far from the first time he had committed murder. He wanted to curse when he remembered that his gun was at home in it's lockbox. He was still wearing his ankle holster, though it was a small comfort considering that Spencer was holding an axe that gave him the upper hand. Though it broke his heart, Aaron knew that he needed to bring Spencer in. He wondered how he'd never seen the signs. He wondered how no one else on the team had seen the signs. Everyone had been genuinely happy for the two of them and none of them had ever expressed any doubt that Spencer wasn't the kind, and intelligent man he appeared to be.

 

Aaron was so involved in that train of thought that he didn't notice when Spencer eased closer until they were almost touching. Aaron had to swallow harshly to combat the smell of blood the clung to Spencer like a cologne. He flinched back when Spencer reached out the hand not holding the axe as if to cup Aaron's cheek. Spencer's hand hung in the air as his face blanked again at Aaron's reaction. Then he sighed and dropped his hand to his side.

 

"You want to take me in."

 

Aaron couldn't say anything to refute Spencer's statement.

 

"I never wanted it to come to this Aaron. I've tried so hard to keep the BAU and our relationship away from this. I know that you are now doubting that I love you. That you are doubting if I can love or care about anything. I do, Aaron. You and Jack are my world. There's nothing that I wouldn't do to protect you two."

 

Aaron felt a chill go down his spine at the dark promise in Spencer's words. Spencer continued his train of thought,

 

"I'm not going to turn myself in Aaron."

 

Aaron fought to keep his eyes open when they wanted to shut in dismay, and readied himself for a fight.

 

"I know Spencer. For what it's worth, I love you too."

 

Giving a sad smile, Aaron lunged for the axe.

 

~~~~

 

The service was nice. The cemetery was packed with members of the Bureau. The team had been more than supportive throughout his ordeal. No one knew the truth, though. Spencer was right when he had said that if he was found out it would damage the BAU. Officially, his husband had been killed by the same person who had killed the three people Spencer had killed. Spencer had been wearing latex gloves, so it had been a matter of stuffing the gloves into his pocket before he called the police.

 

He took one last look at the grave as the cemetery workers started the process of filling it in. He tucked Jack close to his side as he walked with the team and Jessica back to the limos. He opened the door, and helped Jack and Jessica into the back, and then rested his head on the back of his seat on the way back to the funeral home. By the time he got home, Jack was half asleep. He carried his son into their house and put him in bed, tucking the covers around him. As he went to the door he heard a sleepy,

 

"Good night, Daddy Spencer."

 

Spencer turned and smiled,

 

"Good night, Jack."

 

Then he turned out the light.

  
  



End file.
